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Herald Reporter
Zimpapers’ Beitbridge-based senior reporter, Thupeyo Muleya has continued to shine after scoping another award on Saturday at the just-ended Beitbridge Business Expo awards.
The three-day business expo was held to promote investment and the town’s economic growth in line with its transformation into a medium city.
The expo ran under the theme ‘Beitbridge 24 seven’ which follows a realisation that the town has been growing rapidly in terms of infrastructure with limited industries mainly those in the services sector.
Muleya was conferred with the Change Makers Award (2022) in absentia by the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry, Cde Mangaliso Ndlovu.
The award was sponsored by the Zimborders Consortium which is upgrading the Beitbridge Border Post at a cost of US$300 million in partnership with the government under a 17 and half years Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) concession.
According to the event organisers, the award was in recognition for his consistency in reporting on a series of news and feature stories that he covered in Beitbridge particularly focussing on climate change, infrastructure, and community development.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, Minister Ndlovu said Beitbridge businesses should start mapping a roadmap to fully utilise the 24-hour operations at the port of entry.
“We appreciate decisions of the companies exhibiting here who understand and appreciate that none but ourselves can build our country and drive its economic growth,” he said.
“As Government, we need a collaborative approach to attract investment in our country and this part has of late been getting prime attention from the Government.
Beitbridge is strategic to Zimbabwe and the region and all businesses involved in exports and imports have found a home in this beautiful town”.
The Minister said the Government had declared Beitbridge a Special Economic Zone together with Bulawayo, Harare (Sunway City), Victoria Falls, Mutare, and Masvingo.
This, he said was specifically to see a lot of investment and development in Beitbridge as a hub of logistics for Zimbabwe and SADC as a region.
“As such we invite both local and foreign investors to tap into the diverse opportunities offered in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and the open economy in general,” said the Minister.
Accepting the award, Muleya said he owed it to teamwork and all the Zimpapers family.
“I acknowledge the recognition and owe this to my family both at home and the Zimpapers stable.
“Without them, I would not have achieved and I believe that success will always come from teamwork and family support. This is motivation enough for me to continue to excel,” said Muleya.
The senior journalist has previously won the Matabeleland Sustainable Reporter of the year (2020), the National Journalism and Media Awards (NJAMA), Customs, Logistics, and Transport reporter of the year (2021), and the Beitbridge Business Summit and Awards, Top 20 influencer (2021).
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